Looking Back: 3/11

Published: Monday, March 11, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 10:29 p.m.

50 years ago this week

Barksdale Thompson, a 65-year-old man hospitalized for pneumonia, died of burns received at Druid City Hospital when his oxygen tent caught on fire. The patient was assumed to have struck a match, starting the fire in the oxygen.

A baby girl was under care of Druid City Hospital nurses after she was found abandoned on the steps of the First Wesleyan Methodist Church on Greensboro Avenue.

Jimmy Mills was named Tuscaloosa Jaycee of the Year.

Owners and agents of rental properties in the city appeared before the City Commission objecting to requirements of a proposed housing code scheduled to be adopted by the City of Tuscaloosa the following week. The code was designed to make each dwelling in the city meet certain standards and requirements for the general health, welfare and safety of occupants, requiring that each dwelling unit have adequate plumbing, lighting, heating and ventilation facilities. This applied to existing properties as well as future construction.

Attorneys for University of Alabama Coach Paul W. Bryant asked Atlanta Journal Sports Editor Furman Bisher to name the sources he used in a Saturday Evening Post article. Bryant was suing Bisher and the Curtis Publishing Co. for $500,000 in connection with the Post article entitled “College Football is going Berserk.”

Georgia's Wally Butts and UA's Coach Bryant kicked the lid off an alleged Southeastern Conference fix even before it hit the newsstand. Each emphatically denied allegations contained in an upcoming March 23 issue of the Saturday Evening Post that Butts gave Bryant game plays, defensive patterns and all the significant secrets Georgia's football team possessed. Alabama won the game 35-0.

25 years ago this week

Six former employees of the Tuscaloosa City Public Works Department were indicted on drug charges by the Tuscaloosa County grand jury as a result of an undercover investigation.

A $2.5 milllion expansion of HPI Inc. of Fayette, a surgical glove manufacturing plant, was announced.

JVC America was expanding to produce VHS-C cassettes, a small cassette that was gaining popularity for use in hand-held video recorders called camcorders.

Rumors of devil-worshipping cult activities in Mount Olive area of Northport surfaced, but Northport Police Chief Dempsey Marcum expressed skepticism though his department was investigating an incident relating to alleged cult activities.

Prosecutors were attempting to block the call by the defense of about 80 elementary students at a preliminary hearing for James L. “Bud” Harvey, 42, who faced 84 counts of kidnapping in the 12-hour hostage siege Feb. 2 at West End Christian School.

10 years ago this week

The Tuscaloosa City School Board pulled money set aside for renovating Central High School West to pay for

$7 million in project overruns at the system's two high schools under construction, Northridge and Paul W. Bryant high schools.

The Tuscaloosa Sister Cities Commission canceled two summer trips to Schorndorf, Germany, because of safety concerns over a possible war with Iraq.

Plans were unveiled for a Publix supermarket to be built near the University of Alabama campus.

Local black leaders postponed an economic boycott of Tuscaloosa businesses as the city school board showed it was willing to consider rebuilding Central High School in West Tuscaloosa.

In spite of Jeana Rice's 10 on the vault, the UA gymnastics team lost to Georgia.

Five years ago this week

Parole was denied for inmate James Michael Hayes, who was convicted of murder in the 1978 strangling death of 18-year-old Regina Quarles of Fosters.

The downtown YMCA and Focus on Senior Citizens revealed a design for a joint building as they continued to urge community support for the multi-million-dollar project to be built on city-owned land.

After three rocky years at the helm of the UA women's basketball team, Stephany Smith was informed that she would not be retained for the two remaining years of her contract. Wendell Hudson was named the new coach.

UA President Robert Witt postponed plans to expand Bryant-Denny Stadium because of the challenges of raising money to pay for it during an economic downturn.

Jurors found Jamie Witherspoon guilty of felony murder and first-degree robbery because his actions during an attempted robbery caused the death of his accomplice, Eric Baggett, who was shot and killed by the clerk of a Raceway convenience store.

Former Tuscaloosa County judge and longtime attorney Jerry Baird died at 70.

Jerry Tingle won the Republican nomination for the Tuscaloosa County Commission District 2 seat, defeating Gary Youngblood Jr. and former county road and bridge supervisor John Crocker. Political newcomer Stan Acker won the four-way race in the Republican primary for the District 1 seat. Gary Mims unseated incumbent John Hinton for the County Board of Education District 3 in the primary.

The Central High School choir, the Central Singers, were invited to perform at the invitation-only 2012 Choral Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Demolition began on the remains of Alberta Baptist Church. The church was damaged by the April 27, 2011, tornado.

<p class="bold allcaps">50 years ago this week</p>
<p>Barksdale Thompson, a 65-year-old man hospitalized for pneumonia, died of burns received at Druid City Hospital when his oxygen tent caught on fire. The patient was assumed to have struck a match, starting the fire in the oxygen.</p><p>A baby girl was under care of Druid City Hospital nurses after she was found abandoned on the steps of the First Wesleyan Methodist Church on Greensboro Avenue.</p><p>Jimmy Mills was named Tuscaloosa Jaycee of the Year.</p><p>Owners and agents of rental properties in the city appeared before the City Commission objecting to requirements of a proposed housing code scheduled to be adopted by the City of Tuscaloosa the following week. The code was designed to make each dwelling in the city meet certain standards and requirements for the general health, welfare and safety of occupants, requiring that each dwelling unit have adequate plumbing, lighting, heating and ventilation facilities. This applied to existing properties as well as future construction.</p><p>Attorneys for University of Alabama Coach Paul W. Bryant asked Atlanta Journal Sports Editor Furman Bisher to name the sources he used in a Saturday Evening Post article. Bryant was suing Bisher and the Curtis Publishing Co. for $500,000 in connection with the Post article entitled “College Football is going Berserk.”</p><p>Georgia's Wally Butts and UA's Coach Bryant kicked the lid off an alleged Southeastern Conference fix even before it hit the newsstand. Each emphatically denied allegations contained in an upcoming March 23 issue of the Saturday Evening Post that Butts gave Bryant game plays, defensive patterns and all the significant secrets Georgia's football team possessed. Alabama won the game 35-0.</p><h3>25 years ago this week</h3>
<p>Six former employees of the Tuscaloosa City Public Works Department were indicted on drug charges by the Tuscaloosa County grand jury as a result of an undercover investigation.</p><p>A $2.5 milllion expansion of HPI Inc. of Fayette, a surgical glove manufacturing plant, was announced.</p><p>JVC America was expanding to produce VHS-C cassettes, a small cassette that was gaining popularity for use in hand-held video recorders called camcorders.</p><p>Rumors of devil-worshipping cult activities in Mount Olive area of Northport surfaced, but Northport Police Chief Dempsey Marcum expressed skepticism though his department was investigating an incident relating to alleged cult activities.</p><p>Prosecutors were attempting to block the call by the defense of about 80 elementary students at a preliminary hearing for James L. “Bud” Harvey, 42, who faced 84 counts of kidnapping in the 12-hour hostage siege Feb. 2 at West End Christian School.</p><h3>10 years ago this week</h3>
<p>The Tuscaloosa City School Board pulled money set aside for renovating Central High School West to pay for </p><p>$7 million in project overruns at the system's two high schools under construction, Northridge and Paul W. Bryant high schools.</p><p>The Tuscaloosa Sister Cities Commission canceled two summer trips to Schorndorf, Germany, because of safety concerns over a possible war with Iraq.</p><p>Plans were unveiled for a Publix supermarket to be built near the University of Alabama campus.</p><p>Local black leaders postponed an economic boycott of Tuscaloosa businesses as the city school board showed it was willing to consider rebuilding Central High School in West Tuscaloosa.</p><p>In spite of Jeana Rice's 10 on the vault, the UA gymnastics team lost to Georgia.</p><h3>Five years ago this week</h3>
<p>Parole was denied for inmate James Michael Hayes, who was convicted of murder in the 1978 strangling death of 18-year-old Regina Quarles of Fosters.</p><p>The downtown YMCA and Focus on Senior Citizens revealed a design for a joint building as they continued to urge community support for the multi-million-dollar project to be built on city-owned land.</p><p>After three rocky years at the helm of the UA women's basketball team, Stephany Smith was informed that she would not be retained for the two remaining years of her contract. Wendell Hudson was named the new coach.</p><p>UA President Robert Witt postponed plans to expand Bryant-Denny Stadium because of the challenges of raising money to pay for it during an economic downturn.</p><p>Jurors found Jamie Witherspoon guilty of felony murder and first-degree robbery because his actions during an attempted robbery caused the death of his accomplice, Eric Baggett, who was shot and killed by the clerk of a Raceway convenience store.</p><p>Gov. Bob Riley appointed Brad Almond, 42, to fill Tuscaloosa County's vacant circuit judge seat.</p><p>The Cotton Patch, the landmark Greene County restaurant, was sold and would close indefinitely.</p><h3>One year ago this week</h3>
<p>The UA men's basketball team made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed and faced No. 8 seed Creighton in Greensboro, N.C., where Alabama lost 58-57.</p><p>Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum greeted supporters in Dreamland Bar-B-Que in Tuscaloosa.</p><p>Former Tuscaloosa County judge and longtime attorney Jerry Baird died at 70.</p><p>Jerry Tingle won the Republican nomination for the Tuscaloosa County Commission District 2 seat, defeating Gary Youngblood Jr. and former county road and bridge supervisor John Crocker. Political newcomer Stan Acker won the four-way race in the Republican primary for the District 1 seat. Gary Mims unseated incumbent John Hinton for the County Board of Education District 3 in the primary.</p><p>The Central High School choir, the Central Singers, were invited to perform at the invitation-only 2012 Choral Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York.</p><p>Demolition began on the remains of Alberta Baptist Church. The church was damaged by the April 27, 2011, tornado.</p><p>Compiled by retired news librarian Betty Slowe.</p>